SBC Voices

Recently, there has been an outcry from some Conservatives about the Ebola virus and the two Americans who were infected in Liberia. Opposition has arisen to bringing them back to America where they can be treated for fear that the disease will spread here. Conservatives like Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, and Donald Trump (or whatever he actually is) have sounded off saying that the Christian missionaries who contratcted the virus should NOT be brought back to this country to be treated. We must protect ourselves, they say. Here is an excerpt from Coulter's rant: I wonder how the … [Read more...] about More on Ebola from Ann Coulter: The Bankruptcy of “Save Yourself” Christianity

Over the weekend, Donald Trump sent out a series of tweets weighing in on the current Ebola crisis. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/495379061972410369 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/495415298808639488 Suffer the consequences? Liberal do gooders? This is morally outrageous. Mr. Trump would do well to educate himself on the facts concerning Ebola before opening his mouth or striking his keyboard again. Facts aside, the very idea that there should be "consequences" for doing what we all know in our hearts to be right is extremely disturbing. While Trump's … [Read more...] about Ebola, Donald Trump, and the Gospel of Christ (by Adam Blosser)

"....The reason the people in the world do not know us is that they have not known him. " 1 John 3:1 In the late 90's, somewhere in post-communist eastern Europe, a flood swept through urban areas, destroying homes and submerging government buildings.  An IMB worker in the area met with community leaders, conveying prayers, condolences, and a large amount of financial support from Baptist disaster relief organizations.  Stunningly, local authorities initially rejected the money, shoving it aside with a wave of suspicion that rivaled the still-receding floodwaters. "Money?  Why?  What for? … [Read more...] about They Really Don’t Know Us

When there are many words, sin is unavoidable,but the one who controls his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19 Bloggers are word-people. Wise words. Foolish words. Harsh words. Gentle words. Destructive words. Encouraging words. Truth in love. Truth in anger. Twisted truth in obsession. Fun words. Demeaning words. Ridicule. Praise. Words of all kinds. But when you engage in social media, you engage in words. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter - words, words words. Despite what the critics of blogging and social media would say, much good goes on through blogging and other outlets. But we also give constant … [Read more...] about A Wake-up Call for Bloggers from Dr. Rainer

The oblivious dog was gleefully playing with an old sock. He was tearing into it—creating new holes—and certainly accomplishing some great feat in his little puppy dog mind. And then everything changed. A jolt of electricity flowed into his neck as the shock collar let him know that his behavior was unacceptable. So he stopped tearing into the sock and sat there like a good dog. But the shocks didn’t stop. The poor dog kept yelping and spinning and trying to figure out why in the world he was being zapped. He didn’t know what of his behavior was causing this discipline. Nor could … [Read more...] about Why Suffering Needs Scriptures

If you have ever heard this phrase, you have probably just been either criticized or insulted or both.  I will admit, I hate this phrase, mostly because it means nothing.  Just sayin. . . what did I think you were doing?  If I hear you talking, I know you are just saying something, but it's what you are saying that bothers me.  Like somehow this little phrase gives us the right to say whatever we want. Another one we like is "no offense" which somehow we believe is a magical phrase that if we say it, the person can't or won't be offended.  I have heard some of the most offensive things ever … [Read more...] about Just Sayin. . .

Many churches, like mine, find themselves in a state of plateau or decline. We want our churches to grow and believe that God desires that too, but we seem stuck and don’t know how to move forward. Our first instinct ought to be to pray, but pray for what? If you are leading a declining church, here are five prayers to be sure to include on your list: 1. Pray for wisdom. Here is a prayer that God promises to answer when we ask in faith (James 1:5). Leaders always need wisdom and we should seek the Lord for it. We need wisdom to understand why the church is not growing, the steps we need to … [Read more...] about Five Prayers for Leaders of a Declining Church

Are you busy? Probably, it seems we are all busy all the time.  We like to judge if we are working hard by being busy. There is a huge problem that comes from us being busy all the time, however. You see, we are told in scripture about a whole lot of "one anothers". We are to support, care for, love, help and carry burdens for one another. We are too be there and support one another and be knit together into the body of Christ. Are we doing the things we should do as His body?  How does our busyness effect that? We see in Acts that all the believers were together daily. They worshiped … [Read more...] about The Problem of Being Busy

I can remember driving down the highway in Virginia in a state of depression. I've slipped into depression - probably a milder form than many have experienced - two or three times in my life. One was during my first pastorate, back in the late 80s. Every Saturday I'd get a copy of the Richmond newspaper and peruse the help wanted ads to see if there was a way for me to provide for my family if I threw in the towel on ministry. Honestly, if I'd had a fall-back option then I'd probably not be in the ministry today. As I drove down the rural highway in Southside Virginia my mind was walking … [Read more...] about Suicide, Christians and the Church: A Reflection